My Bonny Light Horseman
Encyclopedia
My Bonny Light Horseman is the sixth novel in L. A. Meyer's
series Bloody Jack. The series begins with Bloody Jack, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound , Mississippi Jack and is followed by Rapture of the Deep , and The Wake of the Lorelei Lee.
Soon though, a British
warship, the HMS Dauntless has come to imprison Jacky and her crew
but after an intense confrontation with Bliffil (an old nemesis of Jacky's) and British soldiers, Jacky surrenders, asking that the British spare her crew. Much to their dismay, Higgins and the Nancy B. Alsop accept this change and sail away. Despite Jacky's skeptic attitude once being aboard. She is realized as nothing but a young, innocent
girl that was wrongly labeled a rogue by King George, despite Bliffil's slanderous accusation of her being known as "Tuppence
a lay" on the HMS Dolphin and a threat to every man board. She soon meets up with two acquaintances, David "Davy" Jones and Joseph Jared and she befriends the Dr. Sebastian and Captain Hudson of the Dauntless.
Bliffil nags and nags on Jacky, libeling her name like dirt until the crew can't take it no more. Bliffil is met with several threats if he ever insults Jacky but they do not come, especially from Jared. Jacky gains freedom of the ship at will for being such a good captive. She takes up with Dr. Sebastian and paints him a much-acclaimed portrait and portfolio. He shows her a rare Mexican dung beetle and she meets his other assistant. Once Captain Hudson hears and sees of her talent, he has her paint him a portrait of his own. Later, Hudson and Sebastian meet in private discussing how they feel about Jacky being a "rogue" and a "pirate" by the King himself and how Sebastian has even taken up the idea of adopting her. Jacky loves the thought of it, smirking.
They sail to British waters but after the senior crew is struck with food poisoning, Jacky persuades Hudson to allow her to take command. While Hudson and the rest of the crew that ate the fish
are ill, the Dauntless is attacked by the French and Dutch. Jacky is forced to strike colours
, but not before she's had the ill officers brought to their stations on stretchers, to preserve their honor.
The crew is taken to the French prison of Cherbourg. Jared takes to sleeping in the same bed as Jacky, to still her continuing nightmares
. Hudson is soon paroled, and Jared assaults Bliffil as he continues to insult Jacky (Now claiming to be male Midshipman
"Jack Kemp", a play on "Jack Hemp"). The Dauntless prisoners are joined by the captured crew of the HMS Mercury, and Jaimy has been severely wounded. Bliffil had passed a note to a guard, and Jacky is exposed as the pirate La Belle Jeune Fille sans Merci, "The Beautiful Young Girl Without Mercy". A lawyer by the name of Jardineaux comes for Jacky to take her to the guillotine
. Jared once again attempts to kill Bliffil, but is beaten down by the guards. She is sent to be executed, but en route to the site of the execution, she is switched with another girl.
She is sent back to London
to meet with First Lord Thomas Grenville
and Mr. Peel of Naval Intelligence, with Bliffil attending. Upon her arrival, she attacks the three and attempts to garrote
Bliffil. Grenville and Peel smooth things over and she releases Bliffil from near-death. Grenville leaves Mr. Peel to give Jacky the mission and he informs her of the cover-up.
British Intelligence wants the French to believe that Jacky Faber is dead in order to send her back across the channel as a spy. Jacky is to train as a ballerina
, performing in a Parisian nightclub frequented by French officers, who often vie to "escort"
the young girls home. She is told that if she refuses the mission, British Intelligence intends to "hurt" the ones she loves. Jacky cannot bear to lose her orphanage
, but bargains to have Dr. Sebastian, Jaimy, Jared and Davey released
.
Jacky spends the next two weeks training in Ballet
, shopping for new clothing and gear, and visiting both St Paul's Cathedral and the Fletcher household, family of her betrothed. Jaimy's father and brother both receive her much more warmly than his mother had (in Under the Jolly Roger), and grimly bear the news of Jaimy's injuries. The last night Jacky is in England is the first night Jaimy is at home, and the two share a tender moment before she has to leave for her mission.
The British escort Jacky to France where they place her in Paris
. She establishes herself in an apartment, and learns that Jardineaux is her "Control
". She acquaints herself with her Royalist
Handler by the name of Jean-Paul de Valdon and they establish a fast friendship, guiding her through the Notre Dame de Paris
, The Louvre (notably, a painting of one of his relations, Charlotte Corday
the assassin of Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat
Jacky joins the troupe "Le Petit Gamine" under the name Jacqueline Bouvier, and she is approached by her first target, one Field Marshal de Groote, nicknamed "The Goat" by the other girls. Jacky offers to meet him the following Tuesday evening, and then arranges for his wife to catch him "in the act". He arrives on the night of the sting dressed in a wolf mask, earlier having referred to her as "Little Red Riding Hood
". After plying de Groote with Cognac laced with Paregoric
and prying Napoleon's troop movements out of him, his wife arrives brandishing pistols. The ensuing altercation injures de Groote, disabling him and attracting the attention of the police.
Jardineaux proposes to next have Jacky serve as a camp follower
, trailing Napoleon's men. Jacky, offended, decides to play the
Sweet Polly Oliver
once again, this time joining Napoleon's messengers
, granting her ready access to military documents. She assumes the name Jacques Bouvier a West Point Cadet
.
Upon arrival, she is given the duties of training a unit of inexperienced, untrained soldiers. She runs afoul of a Major Levesque but also makes friends amongst the officers and soldiers under her command. She and her soldiers, nicknamed the "Clod Hoppers" due to their rough, country origins meet Napoleon, presenting him with a captured Prussian flag
. Soon afterwards, Jacky is reunited with Jean Paul and Randall Trebvelyne. They see action in the Battle of Jena and Napoleon releases her from the Army, awarding her a Legion of Honour. After war, she gives Mathilde to her assistant-in-war Denis Dufour.
Meanwhile, Jaimy is fully awaken from his concussion and tries to find what happened to Jacky after the stint at the French prison. They find out she was working in Paris so they set sail aboard the Nancy B.
Jacky's days of war are over and she reports back to Paris. She meets Jardineaux there, where things turn fierce. Jardineaux tells Jacky his disappointment in her for not killing Napoleon and brands her a traitor. He holds her at gunpoint and has her ride with him to the docks where he would kill her. Once there, Jean Paul appears to reveal more of what Jardineaux had plotted for Napoleon and just as soon as Jardineaux is about to kill Jacky. Jean Paul impales him with Jacky's shiv
(which he had taken prior to her being taken to the dock), saving Jacky. Before this, however, Jardineaux showed Jacky that her ship, the Nancy B. Alsop was coming into dock. So she leaves Jean Paul at the dock to be picked up by Jaimy, Higgins and the rest of the crew, saying, "I have come home."
Louis A. Meyer
Louis A. Meyer Meyer, L.A. , brief autobiography on author's own webpage. Accessed February 25, 2009. writes under the name L.A. Meyer. He is best known as the author of the Bloody Jack seafaring novels. He is also a painter....
series Bloody Jack. The series begins with Bloody Jack, Curse of the Blue Tattoo, Under the Jolly Roger, In the Belly of the Bloodhound , Mississippi Jack and is followed by Rapture of the Deep , and The Wake of the Lorelei Lee.
Plot introduction
The story starts with Jacky back on sea after visiting her dear friend, Amy Trevelyne, after her adventures throughout the U.S. frontier. She sails her ship the "Nancy B. Alsop" while waiting for Jaimy to come back from the Orient to marry her.Soon though, a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
warship, the HMS Dauntless has come to imprison Jacky and her crew
Impressment
Impressment, colloquially, "the Press", was the act of taking men into a navy by force and without notice. It was used by the Royal Navy, beginning in 1664 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, in wartime, as a means of crewing warships, although legal sanction for the practice goes back to...
but after an intense confrontation with Bliffil (an old nemesis of Jacky's) and British soldiers, Jacky surrenders, asking that the British spare her crew. Much to their dismay, Higgins and the Nancy B. Alsop accept this change and sail away. Despite Jacky's skeptic attitude once being aboard. She is realized as nothing but a young, innocent
Virginity
Virginity refers to the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. There are cultural and religious traditions which place special value and significance on this state, especially in the case of unmarried females, associated with notions of personal purity, honor and worth...
girl that was wrongly labeled a rogue by King George, despite Bliffil's slanderous accusation of her being known as "Tuppence
Tuppence
Tuppence may refer to:* Two pence in pre-decimal British coinage. Or, the specific coins:** Two pence ** Two pence...
a lay" on the HMS Dolphin and a threat to every man board. She soon meets up with two acquaintances, David "Davy" Jones and Joseph Jared and she befriends the Dr. Sebastian and Captain Hudson of the Dauntless.
Bliffil nags and nags on Jacky, libeling her name like dirt until the crew can't take it no more. Bliffil is met with several threats if he ever insults Jacky but they do not come, especially from Jared. Jacky gains freedom of the ship at will for being such a good captive. She takes up with Dr. Sebastian and paints him a much-acclaimed portrait and portfolio. He shows her a rare Mexican dung beetle and she meets his other assistant. Once Captain Hudson hears and sees of her talent, he has her paint him a portrait of his own. Later, Hudson and Sebastian meet in private discussing how they feel about Jacky being a "rogue" and a "pirate" by the King himself and how Sebastian has even taken up the idea of adopting her. Jacky loves the thought of it, smirking.
They sail to British waters but after the senior crew is struck with food poisoning, Jacky persuades Hudson to allow her to take command. While Hudson and the rest of the crew that ate the fish
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
are ill, the Dauntless is attacked by the French and Dutch. Jacky is forced to strike colours
Striking the colors
Striking the colors is the universally recognized indication of surrender, particularly for ships at sea. Surrender is dated from the time the ensign is struck.-In international law:# "Colors. A national flag . The colors . ....
, but not before she's had the ill officers brought to their stations on stretchers, to preserve their honor.
The crew is taken to the French prison of Cherbourg. Jared takes to sleeping in the same bed as Jacky, to still her continuing nightmares
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
. Hudson is soon paroled, and Jared assaults Bliffil as he continues to insult Jacky (Now claiming to be male Midshipman
Midshipman
A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...
"Jack Kemp", a play on "Jack Hemp"). The Dauntless prisoners are joined by the captured crew of the HMS Mercury, and Jaimy has been severely wounded. Bliffil had passed a note to a guard, and Jacky is exposed as the pirate La Belle Jeune Fille sans Merci, "The Beautiful Young Girl Without Mercy". A lawyer by the name of Jardineaux comes for Jacky to take her to the guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
. Jared once again attempts to kill Bliffil, but is beaten down by the guards. She is sent to be executed, but en route to the site of the execution, she is switched with another girl.
She is sent back to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to meet with First Lord Thomas Grenville
Thomas Grenville
Thomas Grenville PC was a British politician and bibliophile.-Background and education:Grenville was the second son of Prime Minister George Grenville and Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Wyndham, 3rd Baronet...
and Mr. Peel of Naval Intelligence, with Bliffil attending. Upon her arrival, she attacks the three and attempts to garrote
Garrote
A garrote or garrote vil is a handheld weapon, most often referring to a ligature of chain, rope, scarf, wire or fishing line used to strangle someone....
Bliffil. Grenville and Peel smooth things over and she releases Bliffil from near-death. Grenville leaves Mr. Peel to give Jacky the mission and he informs her of the cover-up.
British Intelligence wants the French to believe that Jacky Faber is dead in order to send her back across the channel as a spy. Jacky is to train as a ballerina
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, performing in a Parisian nightclub frequented by French officers, who often vie to "escort"
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
the young girls home. She is told that if she refuses the mission, British Intelligence intends to "hurt" the ones she loves. Jacky cannot bear to lose her orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
, but bargains to have Dr. Sebastian, Jaimy, Jared and Davey released
Prisoner exchange
A prisoner exchange or prisoner swap is a deal between opposing sides in a conflict to release prisoners. These may be prisoners of war, spies, hostages, etc...
.
Jacky spends the next two weeks training in Ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
, shopping for new clothing and gear, and visiting both St Paul's Cathedral and the Fletcher household, family of her betrothed. Jaimy's father and brother both receive her much more warmly than his mother had (in Under the Jolly Roger), and grimly bear the news of Jaimy's injuries. The last night Jacky is in England is the first night Jaimy is at home, and the two share a tender moment before she has to leave for her mission.
The British escort Jacky to France where they place her in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. She establishes herself in an apartment, and learns that Jardineaux is her "Control
Get Smart
Get Smart is an American comedy television series that satirizes the secret agent genre. Created by Mel Brooks with Buck Henry, the show starred Don Adams , Barbara Feldon , and Edward Platt...
". She acquaints herself with her Royalist
Royalist
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of government, but not necessarily a particular monarch...
Handler by the name of Jean-Paul de Valdon and they establish a fast friendship, guiding her through the Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris
Notre Dame de Paris , also known as Notre Dame Cathedral, is a Gothic, Roman Catholic cathedral on the eastern half of the Île de la Cité in the fourth arrondissement of Paris, France. It is the cathedral of the Catholic Archdiocese of Paris: that is, it is the church that contains the cathedra of...
, The Louvre (notably, a painting of one of his relations, Charlotte Corday
Charlotte Corday
Marie-Anne Charlotte de Corday d'Armont , known to history as Charlotte Corday, was a figure of the French Revolution. In 1793, she was executed under the guillotine for the assassination of Jacobin leader Jean-Paul Marat, who was in part responsible, through his role as a politician and...
the assassin of Revolutionary Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat
Jean-Paul Marat , born in the Principality of Neuchâtel, was a physician, political theorist, and scientist best known for his career in France as a radical journalist and politician during the French Revolution...
Jacky joins the troupe "Le Petit Gamine" under the name Jacqueline Bouvier, and she is approached by her first target, one Field Marshal de Groote, nicknamed "The Goat" by the other girls. Jacky offers to meet him the following Tuesday evening, and then arranges for his wife to catch him "in the act". He arrives on the night of the sting dressed in a wolf mask, earlier having referred to her as "Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
". After plying de Groote with Cognac laced with Paregoric
Paregoric
Paregoric, or camphorated tincture of opium, also known as tinctura opii camphorata, is a medication known for its antidiarrheal, antitussive, and analgesic properties.-History:...
and prying Napoleon's troop movements out of him, his wife arrives brandishing pistols. The ensuing altercation injures de Groote, disabling him and attracting the attention of the police.
Jardineaux proposes to next have Jacky serve as a camp follower
Camp follower
Camp-follower is a term used to identify civilians and their children who follow armies. There are two common types of camp followers; first, the wives and children of soldiers, who follow their spouse or parent's army from place to place; the second type of camp followers have historically been...
, trailing Napoleon's men. Jacky, offended, decides to play the
Crossdressing during wartime
Many people have engaged in cross-dressing during wartime under various circumstances and for various motives. This has been especially true of women, whether while serving as a soldier in otherwise all-male armies, while protecting or disguising their identity in dangerous circumstances, or for...
Sweet Polly Oliver
Sweet Polly Oliver
Sweet Polly Oliver is an English folk song , dating from at least 1840. It is also known as "Pretty Polly Oliver".It is one of the best known of a number of folk songs describing woman disguising themselves as men to join the army....
once again, this time joining Napoleon's messengers
Despatch rider
A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...
, granting her ready access to military documents. She assumes the name Jacques Bouvier a West Point Cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
.
Upon arrival, she is given the duties of training a unit of inexperienced, untrained soldiers. She runs afoul of a Major Levesque but also makes friends amongst the officers and soldiers under her command. She and her soldiers, nicknamed the "Clod Hoppers" due to their rough, country origins meet Napoleon, presenting him with a captured Prussian flag
Colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours, standards or Guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some 5,000 years ago...
. Soon afterwards, Jacky is reunited with Jean Paul and Randall Trebvelyne. They see action in the Battle of Jena and Napoleon releases her from the Army, awarding her a Legion of Honour. After war, she gives Mathilde to her assistant-in-war Denis Dufour.
Meanwhile, Jaimy is fully awaken from his concussion and tries to find what happened to Jacky after the stint at the French prison. They find out she was working in Paris so they set sail aboard the Nancy B.
Jacky's days of war are over and she reports back to Paris. She meets Jardineaux there, where things turn fierce. Jardineaux tells Jacky his disappointment in her for not killing Napoleon and brands her a traitor. He holds her at gunpoint and has her ride with him to the docks where he would kill her. Once there, Jean Paul appears to reveal more of what Jardineaux had plotted for Napoleon and just as soon as Jardineaux is about to kill Jacky. Jean Paul impales him with Jacky's shiv
Shiv
The word Shiv or shiv may refer to:* Shiv , a type of sharp weapon* Shiva, a Hindu deity* A fictional location in Magic: The Gathering, see Dominaria* Shiv, a villain in the animated series Static Shock...
(which he had taken prior to her being taken to the dock), saving Jacky. Before this, however, Jardineaux showed Jacky that her ship, the Nancy B. Alsop was coming into dock. So she leaves Jean Paul at the dock to be picked up by Jaimy, Higgins and the rest of the crew, saying, "I have come home."
Characters
- Jacky Faber- the main protagonist
- James "Jaimy" Fletcher- Jacky's true love and fiance. He was set asail on a ship bound to the Orient when he falls into a concussion after battle and is delivered to the nearest prison in France, it is the one Jacky was staying in before her "execution." After the execution stunt the British had play on the French, Jacky talked to Mr. Peel about releasing Jaimy and the rest from the same prison; having Jaimy recover under the eyes of his family.
- Captain Hannibal Hudson & Dr. Stephen Sebastian- Notable as a reference to "Lucky" Jack Aubrey and Dr. Maturin of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series
- Jean-Paul de Valdon- a French operative that opposes Napoleon and under Jardineaux's thumb. He follows Jacky through her mission as a nightclub performer/prostitute and her days as a cadet under Napoleon.
- Jardineaux- The main antagonist of the book; he is introduced as a rude lawyer sent to deliver Jacky to the guillotine and placed her head agent during the missions for British Intelligence. Despite strict orders to have Jacky safe from harm and keep under a good eye. Jardineaux tries to kill Jacky for not assassinating Napoleon.
- Mr. Peel- Head of British Intelligence, he is the one that assigns Jacky to the mission.
- Lord Grenville- Another leader for British Intelligence, more reserved and prissy than Mr. Peel.
- Bliffil- A horrible man that spends a good amount of the book trying to reveal Jacky's true colors from stories of the past and her past confrontations with him. Finally, Jacky nearly kills him with an injury to his jugular vein.
- Madame Petrova- A dance instructor that prepares Jacky for Paris.
- Madame Gris and the dancing troupe- The dancing troupe that performs and sells their bodies for information about Napoleon and the Grand Army.
- Denis Dufour and the Army- Jacky's partners and brothers-in-arms.
- Napoleon Bonaparte- The legend warlord and Emperor of France.
- Higgins- Jacky's 'butler' and assistant, he is finally reunited with Jacky at the end of the novel.
- James/Jim Tanner- First mate to Jacky and Higgins both.
- Daniel Prescott- the ship's boy who was picked up after Jacky's battle with the Cave-in-Rock bandits in the previous novel.
- John Thomas and Smasher McGee- sailors on the Nancy B.